What is Christmas about?

Another year we come together to celebrate Jesus's birthday, but for many, that reasoning didn't enter their mind. Christmas has become such a commercial holiday, and an even bigger anti-climax for thousands of people globally.

I spent the joyous 12 days before Christmas thinking of the perfect gift for those closest to me. I walked around the shops to be bombarded with gift ideas and I felt obliged to buy so much! Is a traditional Christmas jumper not enough any more? ...

...Apparently not! My friends brother, aged 7, got an Xbox! I know I was privileged to be spoilt by so many fabulous clothes, shoes and make-up, but I am now at that age to appreciate the pleasure of spending festivities with family, that I get saddened by people wanting a Christmas purely for presents.

All that expenditure and we wonder why we are facing a recession?  Today Selfridge's department store in central London took in £1.3 million in the first hour! What does this tell you? People do not understand Christmas, and do not know what to do with themselves staying indoors. I think this year high street retailers posed serious competition with online retailers, because I'm sure some consumers even shopped from home!

Why on earth are people not at home, eating leftovers, and cherishing the moment with their families/ friends? The modern-day Christmas seems to be all about the 'social' and 'economic' factors. Advertising and media industries must have an absoloute field day using the word 'Christmas'.

If everyone was at home Boxing day would not be considered the 'busiest shopping day of the year', and crowds of people would not have made it easy for someone to be stabbed to death in Central London today.

Pic Via Daily Mail.

Reports via Daily Mail suggest it was a 'suspected row over a pair of trainers'. Shocking.

It disheartens me that I have to leave Boxing day with a negative post but it would mean a lot for me if everyone thinks twice about certain days of the year. Valentines Day, Birthdays, Easter and even alternative religious holidays. Remember to make more of an effort and spend more time with your loved ones, because the way the world is going, we are not guaranteed to have them forever.

My love goes out to the victims family. We can only hope and pray for a better 2012. Be appreciative of the mornings God wakes you up :)

DO QR codes get Quick response?

Have you seen this around?

Well this is our future...

A QR code looks like a barcode and the purpose of one is to enable fast readability for smart phones. It was first created by Toyota in 1994 to track vehicles during manufacturing process, but since then the modernized technology has had frequent use from organizations across the world. We can now see QR codes in magazines, billboards, web pages or even someones t-shirt. Once your smart phone scans a QR code you are directed to the URL where you can get more information on that business.

This is what WE as today's consumer want. We want immediate access to what is relevant. For example, if we see a QR code advertising Topshop's finest new Christmas jumper we can get our phone out, scan the QR code, and be connected with further information. The future of retail is going digital and now retailers have the ability to move all their consumers online, engage them, and see a wider range of products.

If you disagree that QR codes are our future, then take a look at these retailers innovative ways of QR technology:

LEGO

TESCOS

Yes, perhaps QR codes are ugly and have been critized for their appearance, but fortunately QR codes can be designed in extraordinary ways. They can now be seen as a central artwork for markeeters. 

They are certainly the newest most modern form of marketing with the ability to link the analogue world with the digital one. If Japan love them then can the UK and Europe be far behind? Is it possible to invent something even faster than QR codes?

Be nice to those on the way up. You never know who you will meet on the way down.

Where ever I go and who ever I go with I ensure I make conversation with people I meet.  You never know who you will come across and what they can do for you. It is not what you know, it is who you know.

Network Network Network. Build those contacts. The network of contacts is all the people whom you can share ideas, advice and support with. To me this means teachers, lecturers, friends, family, work colleagues, sports/ societies and so on...

Although it is difficult to stay in contact with everyone, social media gives you the opportunity to stay in contact at no extra hassle.


Facebook is a good channel to get to know your contacts on a personal level by commenting and/or liking their activity. This will allow your contacts to be reminded of you and in turn they are likely to click on your profile.

Whereas Twitter is a good channel to build strong contacts with professionals whom work in the industry and share news about the day-to-day activities.

I always try to network effectively by making the best use from my existing contacts, and thinking of ways in which they can help me move towards my desired career goal.

If you are looking to build your contact list try attending:

• Career Events
• Exhibitions
• Drink receptions
• Coffee breaks

Blackberry's customer loyalty scheme

Earlier this month Blackberry users were going mental on Facebook and Twitter about the service collapse. Blackberry users in Europe, Canada and South America also experienced technical difficulties which was believed to speculate from Blackberry's global infrastructure. In other words they had a failed back-up source. It resulted in millions of customers worldwide without the use of their smart phone for three days, which caused a lot of upset, anger, and frustration.

The issue was reported via many different media channel. ITV ONE in particular caught my attention, where Managing Director of RIM (which stands for Research in Motion) was interviewed about the fault in Blackberry.

Steven Bates apologised to the customers who were experiencing problems, and then went on to explain the reasoning behind the messaging and browsing failure. It was nice to see that Blackberry were not ignoring their customers.

However, there was no settlement for when the problem would be solved, nor did he mention any compensation that would be given to users without access to their Blackberry.

At this point I feel it would have been important to offer a freebie because people appreciate free things. It makes them feel special. It would have made customers take their mind off the problem, which could have resulted in less ranting, and in effect it would have reduced the bad publicity Blackberry were quickly accumulating.

As a Blackberry owner, I believe that during this time the biggest problem of all was to admit I had a Blackberry. To Iphone users it was seen as a joke. Humorous Facebook and Twitter updates were escalating by the minute. Even video's like this one were being posted to Youtube...

I recently blogged about Brand Management and Customer Service on Twitter where I stated companies should monitor tweets, regarding their brand, and have a strategy for bad PR. In this case, Blackberry should have monitored what their customers were saying about them.

Not only did this show a lack of acknowledgement, it made the company look worse, especially because they are a technical industry. They should have an experienced community manager, who is knowledgeable on social media tactics. It could have quickly changed the attitudes of some customers.

What happens now?
RIM have now tried to make amends with customers by giving 'premium apps for free' as well as one month of technical support for free. The premium apps consists of: SIMS3, Bejeweled, Texas Hold 'em poker 2 and many more which RIM claim will add at a later date.

Although free Apps are a nice gesture, I am not entirely sure it will make up for no access to email for several days. Blackberry users need to be reassured that this problem will not happen again, so they can continue to trust the brand and stay loyal.

Personally, I am waiting for my contract upgrade date so I can convert to an Iphone!

Do your friends get what you do?

When I was in my final year at uni I was looking forward to finishing and going home to see my friends and family whenever I wanted. Five months has passed and I would go back to uni tomorrow if I could!

I miss everything about university- even the dirty plates, cigarette butts in glasses, and the coldness of a damp student house in the winter! Call me crazy, I don't know, but uni is literally 'living the dream'. I had no idea the 'real world' would be this boring. I live to work, whereas in an ideal world, I would like to work to live.

In my home city, Milton Keynes, all my friends have settled down, moved in with their partners and already had babies! Do you realise how scary this is for me?

I read in the newspaper the other day that the trouble with my generation is that they want everything NOW, and I'm sure most of you will agree with this. Young people nowadays want immediate gratification, but surely this is something that you wait for, and earn during years of living?

I never felt 'old' at uni, because I'm not, I'm 22! Since living at home I feel extremely old and I feel like I have taken a huge step backwards. The most frustrating thing is I am yet to see any gratification from getting a BA Hons degree.

At present I am trying to use social media to connect, whereas friends of mine who offer their services, rely on traditional word of the mouth marketing. When I talk about the latest campaign I am running for my work, or the newest client to have met, the conversation always manages to last just two minutes before it changes.

I feel the need to connect with like-minded career people in other places. I'm starting with Twitter, LinkedIn, and blogs but I am definitely keen to start face-to-face networking.

How to build up your Twitter account?

Although Twitter can resemble Facebook, it is in some respects very different especially for public relations, journalist and marketing professionals. I cannot emphasize how much I love Twitter!

Facebook, in my opinion, is merely as good as Twitter when it comes to Marketing. I'm not interested in seeing where my Facebook friends went at the weekend, what clothes they wore, how old their children are now...etc. Facebook has become far too personal and I think Facebookers are far too open about their personal issues. It makes me cringe!

Whereas Twitter consists of people who are social- media savvy and are knowledgeable on the world of marketing. Most importantly my followers care about their reputation. My Twitter timeline informs me and educates me everyday because I choose to follow important sources like marketing agencies in London, newspaper brands and graduates who in a way act like my competitors. I try to ensure I am tweeting similar content. Although I could rant on about the brilliant services Twitter provides, you might be reading this thinking well, actually, I don't know where to start and who do I follow?

Building a Twitter account and tweeting 'the right' information can seem like a daunting task. Particularly when the timeline shows your followers tweeting links, images, mentions and hashtags!

I have explained the different features that can be used in tweets:

Links:
If you would like to back up your tweet with further information, you can copy and paste the URL of a website. Twitter will automatically shorten the link and your followers will be able to view the website. Links are great to show where you got the information from and what style of websites you trust and value.

Images:
If you would like to share a photo with your followers, there is a symbol of a camera under the 'whats happening' text box. The photo's you share will stay on your Twitter profile under 'recent images' which is great for potential followers to gain an understanding of your personality and style of tweets.

Mentions:
Mentions is when you start your tweet with '@' and then the username of the follower you want to speak too. It will then appear on their '@mentions' tab.

It is quite important to monitor the people who choose to 'follow you', so you can welcome them. Once they are following you, you can tweet them by a mention, to generate a conversation.

It is also important to occasionally tweet the people who you are following, to encourage them to follow you back and show other potential followers what you are interested in. It also shows how good you are at communication.

If a potential follower was to view @Oliveremery's profile they will see he is a Public Relations Manager in London, which suggests I am communicating with people in my chosen sector.

Hashtags:
Personally I have still not come to terms with the hashtag concept, but I use it and this is why:
1. When I generally want to have a moan, I use the hashtag #ThingsIhate, and the same for when I want to say something positive. I then use the hashtag #ThingsIlove.
2. If I am watching a TV programme I will insert it into a hashtag. For example, #Xfactor.

My understanding of this is that people who will then type '#Xfactor' in the search box will see my tweet. They could then view my full profile and potentially follow me. If you visit my profile you straight away know I am interested in PR/ Marketing. You never know who will click on your profile so base the content around your main interest. Why are you tweeting? Who is your Target Audience?

Once you understand the tweeting process, you will start to understand Twitter and believe me it is a FANTASTIC marketing tool.

If I have persuaded you to join Twitter start by:

• Follow competitors-

Tweet similar info, look at their list of followers and choose to follow a few.
Build your contact database, each and every tweeter will benefit you.
Monitor competitors coverage because you could be missing out on something within that particular industry. 

• Prepare your responses-

If someone wants to ask a question about you or your company think about the type of response you are tweeting back. Does it portray you or your company in the right way? Is it likely to gain you a Retweet?

• Provide good customer service-

Help others and communicate clearly. Be friendly to followers, more people will want to engage with you. If you are providing good customer service, you could spread around Twitter in a matter of minutes.

A genius fundraiser and a great marketing tool.

I just found out about Own a Colour and I was pleasantly suprised with what I found!

A colour chart, with celebrity faces intertwined, that allows you to buy a colour for just £1.00 in aid of the charity Unicef.

Unicef is the world's leading organisation protecting the rights of children and young people. 

Unicef have mentioned 'computers, smart phones and tablets can display 16.7 million colours'. When you select a colour on the chart, the 'trending' then gives you more option, around that particular colour.

A small act like this is quite fun for individuals to choose their colour and 'own a colour'. With a choice of 16.7 million colours, each colour can combine together, which in effect will raise and contribute a large donation to Unicef.

Unicef have done brilliantly in coming up with such a genius, unique idea that is so simple yet so effective. 

Having Dulux as their partner in this scheme works really well, especially when Dulux's mission is 'adding colour to people's lives'. I do not think any other brand slogan could be more accurately applied to this own a colour. It is likely that contributors will think of Dulux after buying their colour.

Own a Colour is just fantastic! I will of course be buying a shade of pink and I will be virally marketing the concept to all my friends and family.

What shade of colour are you going to own?

Brand management and Customer Service on Twitter.

Twitter is a great way for any company to manage their brand. Since millions of people are using Twitter companies should assume that many of their clients/ customers are actively using Twitter also.

I previously discussed 'when bad news spreads on social media'',  when I pointed out the key components of a brands PR strategy. Bad PR is enough to destroy a company. A few negative tweets will inform users on Twitter about that particular brand. It is not so much the independent tweets that companies need to be aware of, its the potential Re-tweets, which will enable the tweet to rapidly spread round Twitter in a matter of minutes. Eventually it will become a good news topics and could even make it to news websites and blogs.

I recently posted about my 'London Midlands appalling customer service'. In addition to this a letter of complaint was posted to their corporate website and I decided to tweet them the link to my blog.

As anyone can appreciate, when you experience bad customer service, you want to be dealt with efficiently. I must admit I was shocked to have a tweet back from London Midland, especially as I've never mentioned a company directly on Twitter.

I respect the company wanted to deal with my issue more formally. I didn't tweet them in the hope to have a Twitter argument! It was more to make them aware of my name, and for them to recognise it once they have read the letter of complaint online. I was very upset with my experience of London Midland and I didn't see why they shouldn't know this.

What I don't respect is the companies assumption. 'The main issue was that you initially tried to pass through barrier without paying the extra'. As I stated in my blog, the train did not stop at my destination, and therefore I had to get off where I did. I inserted my ticket which suggests I was unaware that it wouldn't work! I then approached the ticket attendant which suggests I had nothing to hide, but for London Midland to assume I was trying to not 'pay the extra' infuriated me. I even asked the attendant if I could pay the extra there and then. My only option was to pay for the penalty fee??????

As a customer I feel London Midland should have followed this protocol:

• Apologised to me to make me feel valued as a customer.
• Thanked me for my feedback.
• Let me know when they would respond 'formally' and how.
• Promised to resolve the situation immediately.
• Reassured me that the train attendant would be dealt with.
• Maybe some kind of compensation (In an ideal world!).

If London Midland followed these procedures, instead of accusing me of trying to not pay the extra, the matter would have been dealt with and I would have continued to be a regular customer. However, the situation did not go like that and they will get no good PR from me. In fact I will now use Virgin Trains!

What I really don't understand is whilst I was tweeting London Midland I felt embarrassed because my followers could see. London Midland obviously did not take this into consideration because what they were tweeting me remains on their profile, and to anyone, that does not look like a brand who cares about their customers!

London Midland need a tutorial on Twitter!

London Midland's appalling Customer Service...

I was due to go London for an interview with a fantastic online marketing agency, when it was proving difficult to fund the travel, especially as my parents were on holiday! The company were so understanding that they kindly paid my travel expense. I was so lucky to have such a great opportunity! I rushed to my brothers work to collect the money needed to get to London, rushed to the train station, and waited on the platform for the London Midland train.

I don't mind getting trains, I've always seen it as something fun to do. It is also a great way to have a good clear out of the brain as well! I sit there and think about everything, whilst listening to some music of course!

I was on the London Euston service which takes approximately 1 hour. I then had to get the underground for 10-15 minutes to London Waterloo. I was revising for my interview, especially as I've had a lack of confidence lately with some horrible interviews, and everything was good. I was happy to be going to London for an interview with an online marketing agency to potentially start my desired career.

I arrived to Waterloo and found my destination. I had my interview which lasted just under an hour and I decided to head home again. I felt happy. I got to Euston looked up at the train times to see I needed to go to platform 16 because my train was 'now boarding'.

I hurried to the platform quickly and set off for my journey home. The journey is not long and goes quite quick, but I did hit rush hour so I had to take the nearest seat available (First class indeed!) We stopped at 'Leighton buzzard' which is 20 minutes from 'Milton Keynes Central'. I text my brother letting him know I'll be home shortly, when he kindly offered to pick me up from the station. I realised I had got the train from 'Bletchley' near his work and was unsure if I had to get off at Bletchley. My brother advised to just get off at Milton Keynes Central. Luckily, he was right because the train did not even stop at Bletchley.

The hurdles of people scurried up the stairs, when my travel card beeped and told me to 'seek assistance'. I always have this problem! I showed the train attendant, walked through the barrier when I felt his hand on my shoulder. 'Excuse me love, this is to Bletchley. You will have to get back on the train to Bletchley'. Knowing my brother was outside instantly infuriated me. I rang my brother and informed him on the situation. He told me to meet him at the barriers and he will discuss it with the train attendant.

My brother politey asked the man if he could purchase a single ticket from Bletchley to Milton Keynes in order for me to come through the barrier. Our home was closer to Milton Keynes Central and he was already parked outside. The train attendant was what you would describe as a 'jobsworth'. He clearly liked the authority and the power that he had over us, that he decided to be arrogant and refuse our polite request. He kept repeating the phrase 'It's £20 penalty fare if you step through'. My brother was getting irate, especially as  the train attendant was being rude.

There was not much we could do, so I had to meet my brother at Bletchley. As soon as we got home my brother immediately wrote a letter of complaint! He told me that he will send it everyday until he received a humanised response, as opposed to a generic automated response.

We appreciate London Midland have rules and regulations, but sometimes with common sense you need to cater for the customer. It was 7pm, I was hungry and my brother wanted to relax after his day at work. The train attendant could have arranged a single ticket from Bletchley to Milton Keynes to save the aggravation and the inconvenience caused to us. It is valid my ticket was for Bletchley, but the train did not stop there. The train man then said to me 'You need to check trains better then don't 'ya!'.

My brother has sent his letter of complaint and I'm hoping London Midland do take it seriously, otherwise this  rude incapable train attendant will continue to treat customers like that. London Midland need to appreciate that he is representing their company. I really don't understand people with poor customer service, it is not even difficult to carry out. Just be nice and reason with the customer.

Charitable Events are great for any organisation.

My recent project was to host and organise a large handmade and vintage fair for the company 'Experience the country' in aid of Cancer Research. The reason for this event was because Experience the Country are a newly established organisation, and they need to create awareness, on their fantastic services. Although the company have been doing everything they can to gain publicity customer bookings have still remained at a minimum.

Lately the team have been concerned with the fact people can no longer afford luxuries, like experience days out, and with the trend in vintage fairs it was seen a great opportunity to utilise the 800 acres of countryside land and host the fair to ideally get the public in. By publicising the event on the company website, corporate blog, Facebook and Twitter, as well as printing posters and leaflets, and generating word of mouth the event was thought to have a high influx of people on the day.

Eventually 20 stalls were sold at £10.00 each, which is one of the cheapest rates on the market, so thats 20 people's friends/family all in the know of the Hounslow hall handmade & Vintage fair. The stalls varied from clothes, jewellery, accessories, cards, paintings, flowers and cupcakes. To cater for children a Vintage ice-cream van was also invited along with a face painter. 

The Vintage fair ended up being a great success which made my planning and preparation worthwhile! I was on a high all day! 

Hundreds of people entered the door, some of which would never have visited the location, had there not been a vintage fair on. It was great to see so many people wanting to support Cancer Research with £1 entry fee, but it was also great for Experience the Country to talk to individuals about the type of experience's on offer. As a result of this the operations manager did trial run's in the off road 4x4 military truck so guests could have a taster in the hope of a return on investment. They would then book up and pay to drive the truck themselves. 

***Experience the Country managed to raise £243.00 to Cancer Research***

I would definitely recommend a charitable event for any organisation because:

• It is a great way to get the public in.
• Attracts a wide target audience of all age ranges.
• Targets potential customers and creates recognition for the brand.
• Definitely makes the brand identity look good.
• Allows the audience to meet the team face to face.
• Gives team members the opportunity to talk about what they do.
• Enables FREE publicity.

• Encourages people to publicise by word of mouth because it is for charity.
• People are likely to give feedback on the company from the service they provided.
• Helps the company gain more contacts.

Experience the country thanked all stall holders personally through e-mail and received e-mails back stating their appreciation and gratitude for being invited to the event. The company also received lots of feedback on Facebook and Twitter that suggested hundreds of people had a great day.

This is excellent for the new business because they can now remember Experience the Country for the Cancer Research Vintage Fair.

I generated a Survey to gain more feedback which I have posted to Facebook and Twitter. The results will be taken into consideration for the next upcoming event. I am hoping to host a Christmas Fair in aid of a different charity to attract people interested in sponsoring that particular charity.

When people left the event I was issuing Christmas flyers!

The importance of social media on the 9/11 story...

It is the 10th Anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attack and for many news organisations it is important they prompt people to discuss their emotion and remembrance.

The New York Times have collaborated with You Tube to get people to record their answer to these following questions:

• What's your strongest memory of 9/11?
• How did 9/11 change you?
• What did you lose or gain from 9/11?

The video will then be uploaded and featured on Youtube.

If New York Times did not collaborate with Youtube, how would newspaper editors gain lots of feedback? 

Does Gemma 'Like' this?

On Facebook we can like brands, but really what is the point? Ok, Social media is great for communicating and sharing but does it really generate sales? I'm not convinced and heres why...

I read on my news feed 'Peter likes Nestle, or Kathy likes Cadbury's', does it matter what chocolate people prefer? I love chocolate but I'm not going to click on the page and then click 'like'.I don't feel like Cadbury's is an essential part of my everyday read. Logging onto Facebook and having news from Cadbury's seems pointless! Nor does it make me want to go and purchase a Cadbury's chocolate bar.

I decided to carry out some research on Facebook, to understand what the consumer can get from liking, and how liking can benefit the brand.

Heineken have enabled consumers to 'like' their brand on Facebook. 2,840, 809 people like Heineken.

This proves Facebook allows brands to build an online community and target consumers solely by interest. The millions of people that like Heineken, have given Heineken the opportunity to share information, and personal experience.

When I looked on the wall of Heineken's fan page I was surprised. Here we have a brand that embraces real life experiences- unlike the several other beer brands I looked at! It is really important for brands to share human experiences and use a human tone. For example, Heineken got several consumers to show their thumbs up with a heineken.

The million Heineken fans on Facebook then got a personal experience. They see this image and instantly relate to it, which in effect will most likely make them think of a Heineken over any other beer in the supermarket! This image suggests 'like' Heinken to have a good time!

Are you feeling extra lucky?

This image is a great way to get the consumers attention because everyone wants to be lucky! The conversation that Heineken are then generating online is positive around the brand.

The One Million Likes Video was Heineken's way to say thank you for 1,000,000 likes! This is what you call fantastic experiential marketing. Heineken sent out huggers on the streets of Amsterdam to hug people to show their appreciation. The people that then didn't know about the fan page would probably like it because of their real life experience (a hug with a Heineken hotty!)

I don't think liking a particular brand generates sales but it does help the business to be liked.

What brands do you like...have they made you like the brand more?

Why should we integrate social media?

During present times of a recession advertisers should understand it is necessary to integrate all media channels. Advertising a product, service or event should be done by as many methods as possible like T.V, radio, websites, blogs, social media and print based media. The reason for combining all methods with a campaign is so organisations can get the highest conversion and the best Return on Investment (ROI).

I recently worked with a local family run company called Experience the Country, to help market their stalls to people interested in selling goods at a handmade and vintage fair. I also helped to promote the fair to attract a high influx of people on the day.

The aim was so that Experience the Country could create awareness on their new business and raise money for Cancer Research charity. Due to the company being located on 800 acres of land they decided to host a vintage fair.

I become very passionate about the idea and loved working in partnership of a charity. I wanted to get the word out there that I integrated different media. My offline methods are as follows:

• Distribution of flyers to houses in the village where the company is based.
• Advertising posters in local shop windows.
• Virally market to friends, family and B2B clients.

I love being digital that I took the campaign online. My online method was to use social media proactively to drive sales to the main corporate website to read more about the event. 

I created a Facebook event, and invited the friends from the company profile, to get an understanding on how many people would be interested in attending. At present 144 friends have selected attending. 

When friends select attend the company comes up on their profile which is likely to generate interest from their friends, and their friends and so on... 

The conversion rate to the company's Facebook page has caused more people to add the company and 'like' the fan page.

Stall Holders are also marketing us on their profile because they want to sell their goodies! 

I then used Twitter to build relationships with companies. For example, I began to follow and tweet local companies like 'MK news', 'MK citizen', 'Buckingham Magazine' etc...whom could publicize a feature in their newspapers/ magazines, include it in their 'whats on' section online, or re-tweet to the hundreds of followers on their Twitter. 

The best part of my tweets and re-tweets was that the Facebook event was linked, which in effect created conversion to the companies Facebook page and provided online visitors with more information on the event.

Stall Holders were also marketing the vintage fair on their Twitter and promoting the business by mentioning the company name.

During the event I will continue to raise awareness from status updates to Facebook and tweets.

I have also designed some Gift Vouchers which I will try to sale face to face on the day, and I will be giving visitors a 20% off Christmas voucher when they leave. Hopefully the personal visit to the company and the promotional offer will make them want to book an experience day.

I am now planning to create a company blog for Experience the country to feature more in depth information on how the handmade and vintage fair went with photos, feedback and an opportunity to share through Facebook and Twitter.

I hope I stay engaged with the target market for this event so that I can create profit for the company and donate money to a different charity with a Christmas fair... 

The blog is soon to come!

When bad news spreads on social media...

During the London riots I witnessed naive, racist and stupid status updates on my Facebook and Twitter. The rumors were quickly spreading and people were made to believe. It made me realise how easy it is to spread bad news on social media.

If a company's PR failed they would suffer through their social media, that it has become really important for businesses to have a social media PR crisis strategy, else they are at risk of having their reputation seriously damaged. Nobody wants to have their friends or followers turn against them in a matter of seconds, and no company wants a communication crisis that takes lots of valuable time to fix. For example, Nestle is a brand who met a social media PR crisis in April 2010.

'Environmental protection group'- Greenpeace created a video to suggest 'Nestle uses palm oil which comes from rainforest deconstruction', which in turn endangers orangutans.

Nestle reacted by asking YouTube to take the video down... but it was a little bit too late for that! The video had most probably already gone viral and multipled on several sites. Customers and environmentalists were already aware of palm oil use.

The Facebook fan page was attacked by consumers (which at the date of writing is 241, 772 fans) and newly invented images portrayed the company as 'killers'.

Nestle had struck a disaster! The Facebook page was overwhelmed with negative comments, that as part of their strategy Nestle should have responded to each negative comment, and gave customers the information they were looking for. This would have shown Nestle are caring and attentive to the needs of each consumer.

They should NOT have been in denial and asked YouTube to take the video down. Instead they should have been open and honest with their customers in order to retain credibility and prevent further damage.

My advice to Nestle would have been to use this as their PR crisis strategy:

• Respond to every negative comment in a human tone.
• Ask consumers if they would like more information via Email.
• Update social media with what they are doing to solve the problem.
• Pushed consumers to their corporate website where they have more information on the subject.
• Arranged to meet Greenpeace and discuss all points to come up with a joint statement.
• To address the key issues and have a video posted on Youtube in response to the Greenpeace video. 

Have you had a social media PR crisis? What was your strategy?

Donate your used bra!

I was amazed to hear the 'bra bank' collected 18,000 used bra's!  Unfortunately the campaign has closed for this year now, but it will be going ahead in 2012 and I'm definately going to be donating my old bra's. I'm sure you have a few loitering around at the bottom of your underwear drawer too!

The Bra's have now been sent remote villages like Kenya and Zimbabwe. The ladies in need now have physical support that is needed to work on their land and look after their children. Something small to us is something big to them.

If you would like to donate in 2012 please read Bra Bank to find out more!

The Notting Hill Carnival Experience

I had never been to the Notting Hill Carnival but after hearing so much about it, this bank holiday I chose to go to Europe's biggest street festival. What a brilliant day out!

(Little bit of knowledge for you- The Notting Hill carnival was founded in 1964 when there was a clash between the whites and newly arrived immigrants from the West Indies)...

I met up with some friends at Notting gate tube station, stopped at a local shop to buy some beers, and headed towards the crowds with our Jamaican whistles! It was so busy and I didn't know what to expect, but everyone around me was smiling so that was all that mattered.

As we walked down, looking at all different types of people in vibrant colourful costumes, we reached a street where you could watch the static sound systems and floats pass through with dancers following. We were dancing on the side of the roads and it really was a great atmosphere.

Everywhere we went I saw police. Their were 6,500 officers for the 2 day event and they were doing a great job in patrolling West London, as well as taking the time to speak to people and take photos with people. I even thanked a few for their hard work during the riots (I think the cider definitely kicked in at this point!)

As the day progressed you could tell that the alcohol was starting to kick in most people, and the dancing got a bit more rowdier, so we headed towards a pub called the 'Grand Nation', where I met a lovely girl and her boyfriend! It is an experience I would definitely recommend and I would love to go again next year :)

The kind hearted man who got me home safely...

When I said bye to my friend at Stockwell in South London, I took the victoria line to Euston and I was dreading the next stage of my journey. A 1 hour train from Euston to Milton Keynes.

I am always being spontaneous and going to visit my friends in their home towns- but mainly London. I love the city buzz, the thrill of going to bigger and better places and the atmosphere the different people give it.

Anyway I finally got to Euston for what felt like the longest tube journey of my life. Probably due to lack of sleep, hungerness, and my hangover from the almighty Notting Hill carnival! I walked up to the gates when I inserted my train ticket to the sound of beeping and the red sign 'please seek assistance'. Great...something to delay me even longer.

'Sorry Madam this ticket is only valid until 28th. It is the 29th today.' So despite getting really drunk at the carnival, having a spinning room and being so dehydrated that I chose to stay at my friends house, I also lost out on a return journey. Back to the ticket machine I go to purchase another ticket when my card read 'declined'. I had no money to get home.

Instantly I felt sick. I wanted to cry. To make matters worse my phone battery had died. I looked around and the spur of the moment lead me to the nearest man. He was resting on the side with earphones looking at his phone. I approached him with a panic ora to me and his words were 'don't worry, you don't need to cry'. He rummaged through his pockets to find he could not gather a pound from his loose shracknell. He then offered me to go to the ticket machine whilst he could put it on his card. Hello? How shocked am I! The first person I approached and he has paid for my train journey home.

I gratefully hugged him and thanked him so much. He said to me 'See London is not a bad place after all' and it got me thinking the whole journey home.

When someone needs your help give it to them because you never know when you will need it back. Karma- What goes around comes right back around. He didn't need to help me or pay £13.00 for a stranger to get home but he did that from his own goodwill and we need more people like that in this world.

Even Joan Collins has released a book called 'The world' where she unleashes her rage at the state of Britain. She states 'There are so many aspects of British life today that depress me: the decline in manners, the proliferation of badly dressed people, our obesity crisis, the lack of respect shown to our older citizens and the menacing yob culture that seems to rule our society, as evidenced by the recent terrifying riots, arson and looting'.

Which yes- I suppose all of this is true and young citizens like myself do disregard the contributions made by our senior citizens who fought facism during the war- not because they were forced too, because they wanted too. My mum once said to me 'Your great Grandad would turn in his grave if he saw what was going on.' I understand my mothers point of view, but what the older citizen need to take into account is that those who critize our generation forget who raised it. 

Besides the statements I regularly hear on Britain, I choose to have my own outlook, which not alot of people seem to have. In my eyes a lot of people are sheep and they are peer pressured into what other people believe. I keep my friends close and my enemies closer. I would rather know people from this 'menacing yob culture' and be on good terms with them than fight against them and potentially be at risk of getting stabbed, shot or even killed. 

I don't want to turn into the majority of people living in Britain. I don't want this to be my regular topic of discussion, I am fed up of hearing people rant about the situation. I am a positive person, I am happy and I enjoy my life. I am not going to judge people on the colour of their skin, the music they are into, the clothes they wear, the food they eat, the people they are friends with nor the hobbies they are into. Everyone is innocent until proven guilty. 

If we stop judging people by the way they look and instinctively believe they are good people then life will show you a good time. I am polite and friendly to almost everyone, that when I was at Euston scared and frightened, a young black man helped me. I know some people that wouldn't have even dared to talk to him, but it just goes to show if you are a kind person, people will be kind back. No one are born criminals it is the people they come across in life that make them that way.

Thank you to the kind hearted man who got me home safely at the end of my bank holiday madness! 

What suitable PR activities are Nurofen Plus carrying out after their latest product recall?

Nurofen Plus have recalled all of their remaining stock because some packs contained 'sabotage', an antipsychotic drug. The packs that contained this drug were brought from South London and another packet containing epilepsy drugs were brought from Northern Ireland. Thousands of packets have said to have been affected.

How did this drug get into the packets of Nurofen Plus? The firm claim to be working with police to find those responsible and the medical director has said 'to be taking the matter extremely seriously' but the brand Nurofen are going to have to use more PR activities than this to strengthen their relationship with their customers. Personally it has made me not want to purchase Nurofen anymore, let alone any other tablets.

The drugs found in the packets have a black and gold packaging whereas Nurofen have black and silver packaging. I am sure people wouldn't notice this, especially if they do not take tablets regularly. Meanwhile consumers are asked to return any packs to the pharmacy and those who have taken 1 or more are asked to speak to their GP.

When visiting the Nurofen website a pop-up alarms the reader on the product recall, when the reader exits the pop-up there is also a 'statement on Nurofen Plus' which the reader can also select to read. It is evident Nurofen are using a range of media channels to make a public announcement.

 Nurofen have also added  to their website statement 'We would like to apologise to our consumers and customers for any inconvenience caused and thank them in advance for their co-operation.'

At present it seems Nurofen are focusing on informing the public on the Sabotage drug, which is rightly so, but they should also be concerned about the damage it is doing to their brand identity and how they can regain the   publics interest.

I suggest they include a mission statement to their website stating what they have done so far to recall the product and how many Nurofen workers are on the case. By doing so the public can see the hard work that is going into the recall and perhaps they can still have faith for the brand. This is exactly what Toyota done when they had to face a product recall...

Reckitt Benckiser UK LTD needs to approach the recall with a customer first philosophy and create video footage to reassure customers of safety and satisfaction that they will do everything they can to ensure this will not happen again. From video footage customers are likely to believe it will not happen again because it is being said first hand. Examples will also need to be shown that people are still purchasing the product. As soon as Nurofen know all 'Sabotage' products have been returned they will need to inform the public to create ease of mind.

My advice to brands is to have a plan for dealing with product recall and maximise every communications channel.

Is it right for the government to monitor social media after the London Riots?

I was glad to read Facebook and Twitter representatives are going to help the police learn about social networks and how they can monitor them for signs of trouble, especially after my recent post on the London Riots.

Public chatter on the internet was what made me thirsty for information on Google. I was refreshing the homepage every 30 minutes and craving for the latest video uploads. Unable to sleep I sifted through the information shocked and appalled, but at least I was reading information from reliable news sources, unlike the information on my news feed on Facebook and my timeline on Twitter! What a load of rubbish that was!

Online friends were posting status' that sounded naive, stupid and racist. They was also posting manipulative things to lead other internet users on to the point where I thought the riots had started  in MK. One status said 'there is a fire in Sainsbury's, Bletchley!!!'. I drove past Sainsbury's with my friend and there was no fire, but admittedly there was several riot officers. Granted this made me feel instantly safer BUT and it is a big but... if people in the MK area had not been posting misleading information would the police have been at Sainsbury's?

Besides false and inaccurate networking, another issue with social media throughout the riots was the fact looters was using it to arrange their movements. This explains the vast amount of broadcasts I received on my Blackberry Messenger stating that the free messaging service was due to be barred- more false information! I was still pinging my BBM contacts as normal.

Although the police cannot restrict false status' and tweets, they can crack down on criminal behaviour on these networks. For example the manufacturer RIM (Research in Motion) provides solutions for access to instant messaging such as BBM and they have already carried out negotiations with Saudi Arabia and India to monitor users messages.

I don't know how I feel about this sense of 'monitoring'...

From a western perspective it is understandable a middle- eastern country would monitor users particularly when North Korea have banned their internet altogether, but how can our country- a country that is passionate for human rights and equality and a country that has criticized others for their lack of internet usage, then decide to censor an individuals phone or social media. Surely this is taking some aspect of freedom away especially as we don't know where the police will be searching.

What do you think about this crackdown on social media? I suppose I do not consider myself lucky coming from a place like England. I should be thankful for the government not restricting the internet altogether.

The dire relationship between young people and the police that lead to a 3 day riot in London.

OK So I am a little bit late in writing up about the London Riots but it is still in my mind- so I'm sure it is in the minds of others!

Firstly I think it is important to show recognition and thank all of those kind hearted people who helped clean the streets of London after the rioting, looting and arson occurred. To me this shows solidarity in the community, which I was starting to question if there was any.

Secondly I am embarrassed to come from the same place as these horrible nasty people. When I found out, I was up late in bed thinking and searching for news on Google when I saw the capitals reputation going downhill in other parts of the world. Definitely not what London needed to the lead up of big events like the Olympics, the Notting Hill Carnival and the SW4 Festival...

 I love London and it has a great atmosphere but I am not sure if I will be attending any of these upcoming events now- Will I be safe? And I am sure I am not the only person questioning safety at this moment of time. Although rioters have been ordered to stay away from Notting Hill Carnival, I am not convinced they will. It is expected to finish early this year at 7pm- but didn't rioting occur in daylight... so is it going to stop them?

It is horrible to think people are now frightened of little scumbags. A peaceful protest in Tottenham lead to youths roaming the streets and stealing goods from retailers. I don't understand? Did young people see the Prime Minister on holiday as an excuse to cause chaos?

There is a dire relationship between young people and the police that young people knew the metropolitan police could not stop this mass looting. It shows how disrespectful the youths of today are. Although it wasn't a time for laughing I saw groups form on Facebook with titles such as 'Going to pick up our benefits, but realising we burnt down the Post Office' which is true! They were so stupid they were destroying the place they live.

Do we blame education, parents or the government?

Personally I blame the government... They make me cringe! The faces we were seeing on TV were faces that belonged to gangs. Why have the government not focused on this appalling increase in gang culture? Valid that these youths in gangs scare teachers, social workers and police officers but surely this is more reason to override the problem before more innocent people lose lives in monstrosity attacks like the London Riot 8/8/11. The government wanted a multicultural society with equal human rights but this is what has happened....

I am no Prime Minister, but I know for a fact the main cause of concern here are gangs. As a 21 year old I can shamefully say I know individuals that consider themselves in a gang, and although I think it is ridiculous, I know WHY they choose to be in gangs. They are blaming the government for having no job, and for coming from a less wealthier background that they steal to get the 'essentials' that are needed in everyday life like Smart phones, laptops, TV's etc.

I could go on and on...but I would like to finalize with stating the police should have beaten these people! I recently got back from my holiday in Spain and I witnessed them beating people. If English police adopted European policing strategies perhaps gangs would not want to commit such crime because they would be scared of the consequences...instead of the other way round.

The worst thing is I heard one rioter got sentenced to 1 day imprisonment! What a joke.

What can phone hackers get from you?

My recent post on the News of the World newspaper has made me think about the ease of phone hacking. If investigators, reporters and editors of the tabloid found it easy to hack the phones of victims, does that mean my phone is easily accessible to phone hackers? It is quite a scary thought isn't it?

I own a Blackberry Torch Smartphone. Before I purchased this mobile I had a Samsung Ericsson, purely for the fact it had enough data space to save all my favorite songs and that was it. There wasn't much more to it. When everyone around me was buying either a Blackberry or an I-phone, and the media was constantly advertising smartphones I began to get curious, and we all know the saying "Curiosity killed the cat!"

I can't imagine life without a smartphone. Scuse the pun but they are smart! I use it to check my emails, to get Facebook and Twitter alerts, to message my other blackberry contacts for free, to get directions, and to get alerted on important dates to remember. As you can tell my smartphone holds so much information about me. I check it regularly and probably would feel lost without it. I love being able to use the internet freely especially in conversations that turn into "I don't know, Google it!"

However, amongst all the benefits of being a smartphone owner there are some negatives. When society used old mobiles we were all less vunerable to phone hacking. We are now opening up to the threats and making ourselves more prone to internet Issues. Hackers can find out all sorts of information so although technology is  a high demand to us we should ask if we are being safe? Would we be better owning a stone age phone?

Why after 168 years the News of the World will stop?

It was recently announced News of the World was going to stop publishing after 168 years of circulation. I couldn't believe it! My father has brought the English newspaper for as long as I can remember and I'm sure it was the same in most households. This newspaper was the one to buy on a Sunday, but now are we just suppose to stop because it is being shut down? Is it as simple as that?

The News of the World was killed off due to a crisis over a phone- hacking scandal. It was said to have hacked in the phones of a murdered teenager (Milly Dowler), relatives of other murdered children, victims of the London bombing, and the families of soldiers who were killed in Afghanistan or Iraq. This is absolutely disgusting and a successful organisation like NOTW should not felt the need to do this just to generate a story. I fully understand the hatred towards the paper. It is a toxic brand and investigators as well as reporters should be ashamed. Personally I feel the chief executive Rupert Murdoch had to shut down because it would have been too difficult to build the brand reputation back whether they did or didn't hack phones.

For example, London Retailers stopped selling the NOTW before it was culminated and prompted other retailers to do the same.The allegations against the paper was enough for people to stop buying it and reading it. People have been affected by the hacking and in my eyes at least shops are considering the feelings of their community. We can now spend our money on honest and hardworking newspapers!

T.K.Maxx raised an astonishing £300,000 for Comic Relief 2011

Usually I go out on Friday night’s, let my hair down and catch up with good friends. This Friday I decided to continue working, stay in and watch some T.V. Shamefully I had forgotten it was red nose day, but when I tuned into BBC I was reminded with ‘red nose day on red button’.  I decided to do my uni work with the programme on in the background- especially as my attention span isn’t the greatest when it comes to watching T.V anyway! But there it was a programme with coverage of the live events that had taken place to raise money for poor and vulnerable people across UK and Africa. I couldn’t help but think why have I never donated money? I started to watch the show carefully where I was surprised to see the whole country coming together to make a difference. I then started to think of all the ways people were trying to raise money, and then it dawned on me- T.K.maxx had window advertisements for red nose day t-shirts the other day when I was in town. I was only passing but I thought it was a great idea to make money and get recognition for their brand…I continued to watch when host- Davina Mccoll slowed the atmosphere right down to tell us of an amazing comic relief corporate partner.

To my surprise it was T.K.Maxx! I didn’t know this but T.K.Maxx have supported red nose day since 2004. I decided to look through their website www.tkmaxx.com  where they stated: ‘We conduct our business with integrity’. As I read on, it come to my attention T.K.Maxx participate in several charity schemes and take a responsible and ethical approach to the way they do business.  This was evident on Friday 18^th March where T.K.Maxx raised over £300,000,000 from their 100% fairtrade cotton red nose day tshirts, what an achievement!  I have always enjoyed shopping at T.K.Maxx but now I feel like I want to spend my money in there more.

The tkmaxxblog suggests the store wanted to do ‘something funny for money’ which is why iconic British fashion designer Vivienne Westwood  teamed up with T.K.Maxx and designed t-shirts that represented humour and historical imagery. The campaign has been greatly successful and has even been seen on many celebrities including; Sienna Miller/ Helena Christensen/ Ant & Dec/ Sophie Dahl and Bryan Adams. I am amazed by T.K.Maxx for not just participating in the raising money for charity but for going to great depth in doing so, and getting thousands of people to buy a t.shirt.

Thankyou T.K.Maxx for your great contribution!!!